Unfortunately, children, disoriented senior citizens and others become missing every day in this country and around the world. In some situations, this is the result of simply wandering off from a designated location while in other, more extreme situations, this may be the result of a kidnapping. Oftentimes, this happens in a matter of seconds unbeknownst to others, e.g., a parent or other caretaker, which in turn may possibly result in injury or even death to the lost person, as well as great concern and worry on the part of the caregiver(s).
The following cited patents describe various devices for tracking such lost persons, as well as personal items. The citation thereof is not an allegation that an all-inclusive search has been provided nor that any of these documents are prior art to the claimed invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 8,154,401, issued to Bertagna, et al. on Apr. 10, 2012 for SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION WITH A TRACKING DEVICE, there is described a system for providing communication with a tracking device which includes a location detector, a communication device, memory, a processor, and a configuration routine. The location detector is operative to determine locations of the tracking device. The communication device is operative to communicate with a remote system. The memory stores data and code, the data including location data determined by the location detector and configuration data. The processor is operative to execute the code to impart functionality to the tracking device. The functionality of the tracking device depends at least in part on the configuration data. The configuration routine is operative to modify the configuration data responsive to communications from the remote system. Thus, functional access to the tracking device is provided to the remote system.
In U.S. Pat. No. 8,130,116, issued to Daigle on Mar. 6, 2012 for MOBILE TELEPHONE TRACKING SYSTEM, there is described a personal item tracking and monitoring system which includes transmitter and receiver units. The transmitter unit is attachable to an object, particularly a mobile telephone that emits a radio frequency coded signal to the receiver unit. The receiver unit is used to wirelessly lock and unlock the doors of a motor vehicle. As such, the receiver unit is envisioned to be carried on a ring of keys, carried in one's hands, carried in a pocket, purse, or briefcase, worn upon a belt, or a similar manner. The receiving unit allows a user to adjust and set an allowable distance between the object and the receiver unit using a range selection control. If the object is located farther then the allowable distance the user is alerting by an audible or visual warning signal. In such a manner, the user may take immediate corrective action to retrieve the object, thus silencing the alarm.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,898,414, issued to Spano on Mar. 1, 2011 for SYSTEM FOR LOCATING AND PREVENTING THE LOSS OF PERSONAL ITEMS AND THE LIKE WITHIN A GEOGRAPHIC RANGE RELATIVE TO A USE, there is described a system for locating and preventing the loss of personal items within a geographic zone. The system components include a personal portable homing center device having a radio frequency receiver and a transducer that is actuated by a change in a signal strength, and several zone devices (e.g., an active RFID tag attached to the personal item). The homing center device uses an algorithm to measure the strength of the signal generated by the tag. The transducer may be an audible and/or silent alarm. The homing center device has three operating modes: Off, Homing-in, and Homing-out. In the Homing-in mode the alarm is actuated when a zone device's signal is detected. In the Homing-out operating mode, the alarm is actuated when a zone device's signal falls to a threshold strength, indicating that the item is no longer close to the homing center device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,696,887, issued to Echavarria on Apr. 13, 2010 for PERSON TRACKING AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, there is described a tracking system having a monitored unit and tracking unit with components that generate and transmit a recognizable audible, visual and, or tactile signal when the monitored unit travels beyond the distance threshold from the tracking unit to alarm the monitored person that they have traveled outside a designated safe area. The tracking unit further comprises circuitry and processor code that generates and transmits a signal that becomes increasingly stronger as the tracking unit gets closer to the monitored unit so as to generally indicate and direct the location of the monitored unit.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,259,682, issued to Vannerus, et al. on Aug. 21, 2007 for CHILD DISTANCE AND WATER IMMERSION ALARM, there is described a system of monitoring human beings which combines zone and water alarms, including an alarm unit to be arranged on a human being's body and a portable alarm centre handled by a person who monitors the human being. The alarm unit includes a sender for continuous wireless transfer of intermittent signals on a first channel and transfer of an arbitrary type of signal on a second channel, such that the alarm centre receives signals sent from both channels for status monitoring of the alarm unit. Activation of an alarm is achieved in the alarm centre when the intermittent signal differs from a predetermined intermittent signal state.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,106,191, issued to Liberati on Sep. 12, 2006 for CHILD DISTANCE MONITORING AND ALERTING SYSTEM, there is described a child distance and alerting system which includes a transmitter unit to be attached to a child's clothing and a receiver unit to be carried by a parent or guardian supervising the child for preventing the child from wandering away too great a distance. The transmitter unit includes a disc-shaped body, a pin portion extending outwardly there-from for piercing an article of clothing, and a pin-receiving component adapted for releasably clamping the pin portion so that the transmitter unit can be attached to the child's clothing. Once the pin portion and the pin-receiving component are properly joined, the transmitter unit cannot be removed from the child's clothing except by use of a special tool. The transmitter unit is designed to transmit radio frequency signals and remains activated until the pin-receiving component is removed from the pin portion. The receiver unit receives the radio frequency signals and produces either an audible warning sound or a silent vibrating warning whenever the transmitter unit has traveled outside the predetermined distance from the receiver unit.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,504, issued to Rabanne, et al. on May 27, 2003 for SYSTEM FOR TRACKING POSSESSIONS, there is described a system for selectively detecting the presence of a plurality of objects in proximity to a person. The system includes a plurality of child units each having a first communicating device (e.g., transceiver) for sending a locator signal and for receiving a control signal. Further, the system includes a parent unit having a second communicating device for receiving the locator signal, a processor for monitoring the child unit and for determining whether the child unit is within a preselected range, at least one alarm for signaling the person when the selected child unit is outside the preselected range, and controls for selectively controlling the child units to be monitored and for controlling activation of the child units.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,529,131, issued to Wentworth on Mar. 4, 2003 for ELECTRONIC TETHER, there is described an apparatus for determining distance and location of a subordinate unit relative to a master unit (e.g., one person relative to another). Both master and subordinate unit consist of a GPS receiver, an RF transceiver, a power supply, an electronic compass, and user interface and microprocessor. The master unit periodically polls and exchanges data with the subordinate unit using RF signals. The master unit processes the data and displays it on a display as distance and direction to a subordinate unit. The subordinate unit also processes data and displays it on a display as distance and direction to the master unit. Additionally, the master unit compares the data to user selectable predefined parameters. If the data is not within those parameters, the master unit initiates an alarm condition at both the master and subordinate unit.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,118,380, issued to Gannon on Sep. 12, 2000 for SWITCH ARRANGEMENT FOR CHILD FINDER APPARATUS, there is described a child locator device which includes a housing unit provided with a rear face equipped with an elongated clip arm and containing a control unit including an alarm signal speaker for generating an alarm signal in response to the actuation of a first switch responsive to the position of the clip arm relative to the rear face of the housing unit and a second switch member normally hidden by the clip arm for overriding the first switch.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,260, issued to Desch on Jun. 20, 2000 for METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR KEEPING TRACK OF CHILDREN, there is described a system for monitoring the proximity and location of a child by a parent which includes two transceiver units which communicate wirelessly. The child unit transmits a signal to the parent unit so that the parent unit can determine the proximity of the child unit and its direction. A safe zone may be set by controls on the parent unit. When the child unit moves beyond the safe zone, the parent unit will generate an alert.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,817, issued to Olmassakian on May 4, 1999 for CHILD MONITORING SYSTEM, there is described a monitoring system for indicating to a supervisory individual, such as an adult, when a monitored individual, such as a child, has moved beyond a safe predefined maximum distance limit. The monitoring system includes a first electronic module suitably fixed to the monitored individual and arranged to exchange signals that are useful to determine the relative distance and direction the first electronic module is from a suitable second electronic module. The second electronic module in the possession of the supervisory individual is arranged to exchange signal information with the first electronic module and indicate to the supervisory individual information including the distance between and direction of the monitored individual. Should the distance between the monitored and supervisory individuals increase beyond the maximum distance limit, an alarm situation may be annunciated by an audio annunciator (or other suitable annunciation device). The second electronic module includes a direction display and distance display that may be employed by the supervisory individual to locate the monitored individual.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,056, issued to Law on Sep. 22, 1998 for CHILD LOCATING AND MONITORING DEVICE, there is described a wireless child monitoring and location device consisting of a device pair having a guardian unit and a child unit, both of which are operable in the 900 MHz frequency band in the presence of other wireless devices transmitting and receiving within the same frequency band. The guardian unit is able to detect when a child strays beyond a preset distance. The child and guardian units execute a selected digital operating address or channel and establish a time marker used to synchronize transmission between the units. This allows each child/guardian pair to operate in the presence of similarly configured devices without the undesirable possibility of interference among the devices. The child and guardian units are capable of electronically reconnecting if communication between the units is interrupted. The guardian unit is capable of communicating a preset delay period to the child unit to offset the start point of the time marker to avoid jamming from other similarly configured units operating in the vicinity.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,460, issued to Sallen, et al. on Aug. 26, 1997 for DISTANCE DETERMINATION AND ALARM SYSTEM, there is described a system which includes a plurality of transceiver units, including a parent unit and one or more portable and wearable child units, for generating an alarm when a child transceiver unit is more than a predetermined distance away from a parent transceiver unit. The distance is determined by the difference in the phase of a reference signal from the time it is transmitted on an RF signal by a parent unit, received and retransmitted by a child unit, and then received again by the parent unit.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,569, issued to Gerstenberger, et al. on Jul. 29, 1997 for CHILD ALARM, there is described a child alarm device consisting of a guardian transmitter and a child receiver. If the child wanders out of range of the guardian's transmitter, after a short delay, an audible alarm is triggered in the child's receiver automatically. One of the child's alarms can be triggered manually by the guardian. As an optional “Panic Button”, the child can also trigger an alarm. The child's receiver has one group identification code and recognizes only one channel code. The guardian can control more than one channel within the same group code to watch over more than one child.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,388, issued to Sherburne, et al. on Apr. 15, 1997 for SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AND LOCATING A PERSON WITHIN A PRESELECTED DISTANCE FROM A BASE-STATION, there is described a system for monitoring and locating the position of persons, animals or moving objects which consists of a base-station that generates an interrogation signal which, when detected by one or more transceiver units triggers the one or more of the transceiver units to generate a return signal. Each of the transceiver units, upon being located outside the preselected distance or upon becoming inoperable, detects an interruption in the interrogation signal, ceases to generate the return signal, alerts the user of the transceiver unit and, after a delay period, initiates a homing signal. The base-station, upon detecting an interruption in the return signal from any one of the transceiver units, triggers a delay period for that transceiver unit and, upon expiration of the delay period, triggers locating circuitry to determine the position of the transceiver unit. Moreover, the base-station operates independently for each of the one or more transceiver units.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,821, issued to Sallen, et al. on Dec. 31, 1996 for DISTANCE DETERMINATION AND ALARM SYSTEM, there is described a system having a plurality of transceiver units for generating an alarm when a child transceiver unit is more than a predetermined distance away from a parent transceiver unit. The system consists of a portable parent unit, a first transmitter portion, disposed in the parent unit, and having a first RF transmitter operative at a first carrier frequency, a signal generator for generating a first reference signal, a first FM modulator coupled to the first RF transmitter for modulating the first carrier with the first reference signal and a first digital encoder for digitally encoding the FM-modulated carrier with a digital signature to identify the output of the first transmitter. The system further consists of a portable child unit of a size permitting it to be worn by a human subject and including a second receiver tuned to the first carrier frequency for receiving a signal broadcast from the output of the first transmitter, a digital decoder for decoding the digital signature from the signal received by the second receiver and providing a decoded output, an inhibitor arrangement coupled to the digital decoder for preventing transmission by the child unit unless the decoded output meets criteria stored in the child unit, a second RF transmitter operative at a second carrier frequency and having an output, and a second FM modulator coupled to the second RF transmitter and to the second receiver for modulating the second carrier with a second reference signal having a pre-specified phase relationship to the first reference signal as received by the second receiver. This system still further consists of a first receiver portion disposed in the parent unit and having a first receiver tuned to the second carrier frequency for providing an output of the demodulated second reference signal, a distance resolver coupled to the first receiver and the signal generator for providing an output signal dependent on the phase relationship between the first reference signal and the demodulated second reference signal that is indicative of the distance between the child unit and the parent unit and an alarm coupled to the distance resolver and triggered if the output signal from the distance resolver exceeds a specified maximum distance.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,135, issued to Ghahariiran on Feb. 6, 1990 for CHILD MONITORING DEVICE, there is described a range sensitive system employing two or more ultra sonic transceivers to monitor the activities of a child, children or individuals and carrying transceivers monitored by a base transceiver carried by a guardian. The system consists of the transceivers operating in ultra sonic frequency spectrum, the child's transceiver transmitting a constant signal which is received by the guardian's transceiver which converts the signal into an audio tone, the guardian's transceiver having a threshold receiving circuit adjustable to correlate a prescribed distance from the transceiver carried by the child (the loss of a signal from the child's transceiver energizing an audio generator in the guardian's transceiver), a signal from the guardian's transceiver energizing an audio tone transmitter in the child's transceiver, the child's transceiver carried in a holster having means to open the transmission circuit if the transceiver is removed from the holster and the child's transceiver in the holster being attached to the child by a support belt having means to open the transmission circuit if the belt is removed from the child.
As to be understood from the teachings herein, the present invention comprises a human being tracking and monitoring system capable of precisely tracking and monitoring the location of one human being, e.g., a child, relative to a pre-determined location occupied by another person, e.g., parent. The invention as defined herein is relatively simple to operate and relatively inexpensive (compared to many of the more complex assemblies as described above) to produce. It is believed that such a system will represent a significant advancement in the art.